Profiles in the sack

How many pillows? And where did you get them? Four, and I got them from the Company Store.

What's your bedspread or blanket like? Where did you get it? It's a black comforter from my father's bed. He passed away in 1995, and this is the comforter he slept with.

Do you read in bed? Yeah.

photo: Sylvia Plachy

Untitled (Self-Portrait)

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New York in Bed — Snuggling between the sheets with sex columnist Tristan Taormino, photographer Ryan McGinley, artist Glenn Ligon, and other New Yorkers, and finding out the answers to all-important boudoir mysteries like: Where'd you get those pillows? Do you smoke in bed?

What is your current bedside reading? My partner and I have started this ritual of listening to books on tape before we go to bed. Usually it's, like, mysteries. When I read in bed it'll be something lightAdult Video News or Entertainment Weekly.

What else is on your bedside table? A lamp, tissues, a glass of water.

And in the drawer? There's a drawer and a cabinet door: between my table and my partner's, about 15 sex toys. These are not all the ones we own, but they're the ones we like to keep close by. And there's lube, baby wipes, batteries, Breathe Right nasal stripsthey relieve congestion.

What else do you like to do in bed? I like to do nothingto relax. There's no TV in my bedroom, no bookshelves . . . not a lot besides the bed and some photographs and some art. I don't even have a phone in my bedroom. I want to shut the door and leave all that behind. I don't do work in my bed, and I don't want a lot of distraction. I just want to be there and be present, not make my bed like the den, where everything happens. I want it to be a sanctuaryreally, really calming. My favorite thing to do is cuddle with my two dogsJordan, a Boston terrier, and Reggie Love, a mutt who looks like a cross between a Lab and a whippetand my partner. At night Reggie sleeps in her own bed, on Colten's side: an ottoman with a green down comforter. Jordan sleeps in a crate on my side.

What's under your bed? Omigosh. Two boxes which contain hundreds of ribbons that I won over eight years when I rode horses competitively as a child.

How would you describe the decor of your bedroom? Shades of green and pale yellow; it's very calming. My sheets are purple, and I have a windowseat with a purple cushion. There's an element of purple in every room in my house.

What's the last thing you do before falling asleep? I tell Colten that I love him.

Do you sleep in the nude? Usually.

If not, what do you typically wear to bed? A T-shirt.

Artist Glenn Ligon, who lives in Prospect Heights, has work in two important museum shows right now, the Brooklyn Museum's massive "Open House" exhibition and the Guggenheim's broad survey of minimalist art since the 1950s, "Singular Forms (Sometimes Repeated)." V.A.

What size bed do you sleep in? A full-size bed that I bought at Ikea.

What brand of sheets do you use? Martha Stewart for everyday, Company Store or Calvin Klein when I have company.

How many pillows? And where did you get them? My pillows are from Company Store too, I think; maybe Kmart.

What's your bedspread or blanket like? Where did you get it? The throw on the bed was designed by Jim Hodges. Every year the Peter Norton Family Foundation sends out a Christmas gift and Jim designed this one. The text on it reads, "If it was a pool it would have reflected us." I probably shouldn't use it because eventually I will spill something on it, but I really love it.

Do you smoke in bed? No, a nasty habit that leads to self-immolation.

Do you eat in bed? Yes, dinner mostly, but if I am having something crunchy, I usually go to the dining room table.

Do you read in bed? Yes, it is my favorite place to read.

What is your current bedside reading? Well, besides British Elle Decor, Nest, V Man, Index, Artforum, and porn magazines (they kinda all run together in my head), I am reading Blindness by José Saramago and fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen.

What else is on your bed table? There is a water carafe I got in Toronto at Caban (Club Monaco's home furnishings store), an incense holder, and a wicker trivet. The table is an Eames wire base table that I got at Modernica. I have a couple of them around the apartment. They are perfect for remote controls.

What else do you like to do in bed? Feel sorry for myself.

What's under your bed? A Cindy Sherman print I bought online but haven't had the money to frame yet and a bottle of Comme des Garçons body lotion.

How would you describe the decor of your bedroom? Done, but not overdone.

What's the last thing you do before falling asleep? Use the Comme des Garçons body lotion.

Do you sleep in the nude? If not, what do you typically wear to bed? I usually wear a T-shirt and boxer shorts. The shirt that I'm wearing is from the Fabric Workshop in Philadelphia.

Who do you share your bed with? Joey, Lance, Dirk, Matt, Flava, Chi Chi, and all the rest of the boys.